chris_b

Last night we played at a large club. The band are pretty good with isolating and taking care, but I was a bit apprehensive, all those people in the room. When we got there only about 1/3rd turned up. Excellent. I never got within 20 feet of anyone all night.

I think every cab I've had since the 80's has been ported. I don't really think about it. If the cab sounds good enough porting isn't a question that springs to mind.

I don't know anything about them, but the La Bella black tapewound I had on my Rob Allen bass sounded and felt very good. Anyone else had experience of these?

Ah. OK, so the master anywhere up to about 2 o'clock should be safe. I reckon the sound will make you proud.

Tuners and good straps.

another bloody double post!!

I've assumed the cab is the 8 ohms version. Can you confirm that? If the cab is the 4 ohm model you will be able to pump 440 watts into it, which might not be good. I rarely push my 500 watt amps past 12 o'clock, I'm assuming you won't either. In that case you'll be putting approx 250 watts into your 115 which should be fine no matter which version it is.

The Glockenklang web site rates this cab as 8 ohms and 300 watts. If that's right, then your amp is 250 watts into 8 ohms, so you'll be fine. Another cab will push the amp to 440 watts into a cab total of 600 watts at 4 ohms. In either case, unless you go really mad with booster pedals, I don't see how you could damage the cab.

What cab is it? If the cab is rated at 300 watts I'd wouldn't expect to get more than 200 watts of clean sound out of it. Probably less, depending on what cab and drivers there are. Depending on your band, 200 watts could easily be enough.

You could try Carol Kaye's approach, threading felt through the strings.

At the risk of sounding very sad. . . . I've tried several, even cutting up a Spontex washing up sponge. That might have sounded good in the studio, but IMO it killed too much tone for a gig. For me, soft foam is the best.

Learn your scales and use those notes to construct pathways between chords. As you get better you can get more creative.

Flats are a life-style choice. I like that sound so much I also put a lump of foam under the strings to squeeze out the last few drops of thumpyness.

If you read his autobiography. . . . sadly. . . . it's all 3 and a few more to boot. It's a shame because I've been going to Clapton gigs since 1965 and am a fan of (most) of his music!!

I'm gigging on Saturday, a working man's club, no public, membership only, so I'm a little more relaxed about it, and on NYE, which I'm expecting to be pulled.

Was it Blond, or the Cream that the first Fenders used?

My thumb hardly ever goes above the E string. You must be hitting the strings pretty hard to make the bottom string vibrate when you're playing the top string.

I used a Two10 and One10 together for a couple of gigs. Very nice sound from a small modular rig. In the end I went with my Super Compact and sold the Two10. I kept the One10 and use 2 of them at home for a great practice rig.

Too many people , it seems, try to find gear that makes a specific sound. That approach can involve a long search and a lot of disappointment. Maybe switch it around and be less picky. Use the great sounds you can get out of any bass rig.

Back in the day, the standard rig around our corner of West London was a Marshall 100 watt head through a Marshall 412 cab. 2 cabs if you were rich or had a deal. The only "standard" I've seen would be the touring SVT/810 backlines.

I only have experience of playing one NYC Sadowsky, a chambered Jazz, in Guitar Guitar Epsom, and my Metro beat it hands down. IMO disbanding the incredible Japanese manufacturing operation was not one of RS's smartest moves. Finding a distribution deal for the Metro basses would have been a major win for all bass players.

double post!!!

Having a "tone in your head" seems to be a millstone to many players. Blinkers that prevents them seeing that great tones can be had from most basses we pick up.

I was on it for about 6 months in 2007. An acquired taste, that I never acquired.

You might be right. Oh for access to a good FOH system! The bands I play with only put vocals through the PA, but I think I've tamed most bad rooms with my current gear.